A true love story: Triumph over tragedy Church family helps Rochester high school sweethearts move past motorcycle crash, build new home in Rochester

By Samantha Allen

sallen@fosters.com

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

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Julian Russell/Staff photographer
Family and friends of Bob and Julieann Lingard, along with parishioners of the Emmanuel Church of Rochester, attend a ground breaking ceremony for a home to be built for the Lingards with significant help from fundraising efforts by the church.

ROCHESTER— Bob and Julieann Lingard looked out over a bare, three-quarters of an acre lot, surrounded by friends and family. On an unusually warm and sunny November day, the two placed their hands on a shovel and looked out at the dirt before them. Julieann commanded the shovel, while her husband gently placed his hand on top of hers.

With one gingerly push, dozens applauded for the official ground breaking of their soon-to-be home.

Julieann said while she and her husband always wanted to live in a colonial, they are now preparing to build their “new” dream house.

On May 1, 2010, traveling down Route 11 on a motorcycle to work, Bob was struck by an uninsured driver and flown by helicopter to Maine Medical Center with a broken back and fractures that left him paralyzed from the neck down.

Julieann's mother, Gloria Hutchins, of Milton Mills, said she had just finished reading a breaking news article about the accident online when she learned the victim of the crash was her son-in law.

“The doctors said he only had one hour to live,” Hutchins said, “and I just couldn't believe it. I just couldn't believe it.”

Since the accident, Bob has regained the use of his upper body, though his legs and fingers are still paralyzed. He now uses a wheelchair to get around.

Having lived with the aftermath of the incident for almost three years, Bob said he spends his time in a hospital bed in the living room of his mobile home, and hasn't seen any other part of his house in all this time. He said he knew it was time for a change, with a move to a handicap accessible structure, but living only on Social Security since the crash, his and Julieann's options are limited.

Patrons of Emmanuel Church in Rochester, having learned of the Lingards' struggle, banded together to raise $37,000 for the family's efforts to build a ranch home. Women's Ministry Director Deb White noted the church raised $12,000 this past Sunday.

The group hopes to start construction by the end of the week, and to complete the project by this February

“I'm overwhelmed,” Julieann said, following a ceremony attended by approximately 50 people and their church's pastors on Monday.

“Today is far from the beginning,” Associate Pastor Ed Cilley told the crowd. “…You know that there's a lot more construction that needs to be done and there's more funds that need to be raised, but we read in Matthew 19, with God, all things are possible and I believe that with God at the forefront, with Christ at the center of this project, you'll see right through the completion.”

Friends and attendees of the church have volunteered to take over 90 percent of the labor of the home's construction, while Bob and Julieann continue to find ways to pay for materials.

Bob has also insisted on being a part of the building process as well. With a background in home building and a degree in drafting, he explained how he learned to use a “head mouse,” which acts as a cursor he can move on his head with a special computer, to create the designs and layout for the house.

Senior Pastor Art Stone told the crowd the Lingards' story is one of determination but it is also “a love story.”

Bob and Julieann are high school sweethearts, who lived three houses apart in Rochester as teenagers. Julieann said she would roller blade up and down the hill on their street, while Bob worked on his Mustang in the front yard.

Stone said watching the two work together through Bob's healing process has been an inspiration to many.

“As time went on, you could see the fight in this man to overcome what life had brought him, and you could see the strength in his wife,” Stone said. “… We just want (them) to know, it's you and us building the house, and the Lord is right there with us. And because of that, we're going to be successful.”

He added the dirt uprooted at the groundbreaking will be used to pot a plant which will grow and flourish as the house develops.

Bob said he continues to work on adapting to his new life, using a wrist cuff to use basic tools such as a fork and a pen. He said he hopes to find a way to revive the use of his fingers, though he's not sure what the future holds. On Monday, after the stirring ceremony, he could only muster a quiet “thank you” for what everyone had done.

“It has been a learning a process,” he said. “And I am improving.”

Those wishing to donate to the Lingards' project may contact Emmanuel Church at 24 Eastern Avenue in Rochester, N.H., 03867, or 603-332-5355.

Click image to enlarge

Julian Russell/Staff photographer
Pastor Ed Cilley speaks at a ground breaking ceremony for the construction of a home for Bob and Julieann Lingard in Rochester on Monday. The home will be made possible by fundraising efforts of the Emmanuel Church in Rochester.

Click image to enlarge

Julian Russell/Staff photographer
Bob and Julieann Lingard, from left, surrounded by friends and family, perform a ceremonial ground breaking for what will be their new home in Rochester on Monday. The Emmanuel Church of Rochester raised significant funds to help make the Lingard’s new home a reality.